(Guatemala 2015: We are going back this month!)
February 2016
 
Dear Friends,

At Habitat, we build hope and community for families here in Washtenaw County and around the world. This month we have a group of volunteers traveling to Guatemala to help build homes. For every home we renovate in Washtenaw County, we help build one abroad.  Since 1989, we have sent more than $500,000 in support for the construction of decent affordable homes in impoverished nations around the world, most recently Haiti and Guatemala.

As a supporter of Habitat for Humanity of Huron Valley, you help people right here in our community, but also children around the world.  Our team has traveled to Quetzaltenango for the past three years with more than 30 volunteers from the Ann Arbor area.  Families in this area live in very crowded, unsafe conditions, but with your help we are working to provide stable, safe homes of concrete blocks with metal roofs and smokeless stoves.

Thank you for partnering with us to do something truly beautiful for our world. 


With gratitude,

 
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Sarah Stanton, Executive Director

 

 


Please join us!

Our biggest fundraising event of the year is coming up on Friday, May 6, 2016! Please join us at the University of Michigan North Campus Research Complex for the 2016 Bid to Build: Annual Auction & Celebration. We'll be enjoying delicious food and drinks, auctioning off hundreds of items from local businesses, eateries, and artists, and celebrating the past year of work building homes, communities and hope! We can't wait to celebrate with YOU... the people who make our work possible!

 

 Lowe's Grant Wrap Up

The West Willow neighborhood in Ypsilanti has been bustling with activity recently due to a partnership between the West Willow Neighborhood Association (NWWNA), Habitat for Humanity of Huron Valley, and Lowe's. In April 2015, Habitat was awarded a second $70,000 grant from Lowe's for neighborhood revitalization implementation activities aimed at strengthening relationships, beautifying the neighborhood, and developing new partnerships. From April - December 2015, 299 residents from the neighborhood and volunteers from partner organizations contributed 1,369 hours in the following activities. This included 15 Lowe's employees who volunteered and/or led projects. 
We are very grateful to Lowe's for their support of neighborhood revitalization in West Willow! 

Volunteer Spotlight

Jim DeRosia & John Peterson 

You use them to hold your groceries, stack your mail, leave hats and gloves, or as a make shift table. We chop, mix, and stir all on our kitchen countertops. For Habitat families countertop activities are made possible by two special volunteers who have been as valuable to our operation as countertops are to everyday life.

Jim DeRosia and John Peterson have been putting the countertops in our homes all the way back to when we built from the ground up. They have hit 110 countertops, that's 2/3 of all our homes, and they are finally retiring. These men have been great partners of Habitat, volunteering a multitude of time and labor to our work. 

"I always wanted to work for Habitat, but I never really had time to do it... I just thought it was a good thing to do. I always liked what you did." said Jim. 

Thank you to Jim and John for partnering with us in making affordable homeownership possible for local families. They have been so generous, and we couldn't do it without volunteers like them. THANK YOU!

 

 Habitat Education Program
The Habitat Education Program is a new program open to the general public! We have found that some families are not ready for our Home Ownership Program because of their debts or financial instability. We are working to decrease this number. Our goal is to put people in a position where they can own a home through Habitat or buy a home through a conventional mortgage. We are providing education classes to guide people in budgeting their long-term goals against their short-term needs, using their credit wisely to build a strong credit score, pay off debts, teaching ways to save, reach financial goals and prepare for financial emergencies. 

Our next Financial Management Class will be on Thursday, February 25 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Learning Resource Center, 4135 Washtenaw Ave., Ann Arbor. We also have classes on Thursday, March 3 at the same location and time. Please join us! If you would like to schedule a one on one appointment with our Financial Educator, contact Ashley at 734-274-3718 or email her at Ashley@h4h.org.  

Happy 10 Year Anniversary ReStore!

This year will mark the 10th year that the ReStore has been open in Ann Arbor. We carry a variety of items including furniture, tools, appliances, windows, doors, cabinetry, housewares, and much more. Thanks to your support 770 tons of home materials have been diverted from landfills this year alone! All funds from purchases at the Restore are reinvested into our homeownership program, allowing more families to become homeowners. It is more than just a store. When you shop, we build! 

Check out some of the items we have at the ReStore by visiting our Facebook page , or stop by! We are located at 170 Aprill Dr. Ann Arbor, MI 48103. 

Volunteer with Team Habitat: We Need You!

Team Habitat is especially designed for corporate organizations, community organizations and groups of all kinds to come together for a day of team building. A combination of volunteer hours and financial contributions doubles your group's impact. By the end of a Team Habitat day, we hope that your group will be connected with each other and with the community in a truly unique way. The satisfaction that comes from working with your hands, our partner families, and our staff, will leave your group motivated and exhilarated. With Team Habitat we anticipate your group will have a fun day, experience the joy of giving back to the community, and receive recognition as a Habitat for Humanity of Huron Valley partner. We are looking for fun motivated groups to get involved and partner with us. If you or your group are interested please email teamhabitat@h4h.org or visit our website!
Don't forget you can direct your Thrivent Choice Dollars
® 
our way!
Grant funding from Thrivent Financial through its Thrivent Choice® program can help support organizations you care about. Don't let designated Choice Dollars expire.

Eligible Thrivent Financial members who have been designated Choice Dollars have until March 31, 2016, to direct any remaining 2016 Choice Dollars. Help support Habitat for Humanity of Huron Valley. Go to Thrivent.com/thriventchoice to learn more and find program terms and conditions. Or call 800-847-4836 and say "Thrivent Choice" after the prompt.
Habitat for Humanity of Huron Valley 
170 Aprill Dr. Suite A, Ann Arbor, MI 48103
 Phone: 734.677.1558 | Fax: 734.677.1572 | ReStore: 734.822.1530